Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-08-21

Se5ssahlf sss Infantry A W. stay f. 1ss ~ rs $40
First Lieutenant r. C.van
vliet, Adjt., 10th Inf. 1877 43 s4263
T. s. McCALEB,
First Lieutenant, Ninth Infantry, in
charge of office Inspector of Rifle
Practice.
Headquarters Department of Arizona,
Office |. X. p, August 10th, 1887.
INDIAN CANARDs.
The military authorities are not in
frequently annoyed by false reports
regarding the Indians, and it is mat
ter of regret that Associated Press
agents are permitted to repeat, season
after season and month after month,
their foundationless stories, which not
only mislead the people but occasion
the military unnecessary labor and
hardship. Recently, for instance, dis
patches from Lordsburg appeared
in many of the papers
with sensational headlines sta
ting that five Indians had fred upon
four prospectors near Alma, and that
one white man was supposed to have
fallen into the hands of the hostiles.
In that, az in all similar cases of news
paper reports, General Miles immedi-
ately ordered an officer in charge of
that section OF the country to make a
thorough investigation, and the re-
ports of Colonel Carr and Major Tup-
per, Sixth cavalry, recently received,
proves that the reports We're absolute
ly false. A lot of spreeing cowboys
had congregated in the little town of
Alma for a good cowboy sort of a time
and on their way back to their ranches
one of them was so drank that he was
left to sleep it off on the prairie.
When he awoke next morning, still in
a drunken stupor, with nerves shat
tered by the delirium of drink, Mr..
Cowboy could only account for his
being on the desert upon the theory
that he had been placed there by the
Indians, and straightway he rode to
the town imagining that band of red
devils were behind him, and told the
story of his escape. A party OF
citizens Immediately went to look
for Indian signs but close
search developed nothing but the
cowboys home tracks, and nobody
believed the story at the place it was
told-not even the news-agent him
self, who made two bits by telegraph
ing the false report to the papers.
Thus it proved that this, like other
mere rumors OF the kind, was abso-
lutely untrue. Still they do harm.
not only by harrassing the military,
but by creating false impressions re-
garding the insecurity of homes in the
territories whose progress and gen.
eral welfare are injured by unscrupu-
lous penny-a-liners. If the people of
Arizona and New Mexico would ferret
out these unreliable news agents, pos
sibly the Associated Press managers
might be induced, at least, to take no
more of their false rumOrs.
AN OFFICER.
REPORT.
FoRT BAYARD, N. M, August IL, 1887.
Post Adjmdnt, Fort Bdyard, N. M
SIR: | have the honor to report that
in compliance with orders received, /
proceeded on the 4th instant to Alma,
N. M, to investigate report pub
lished in the newspapers that Indians
had been seen in that vicinity. The
following is the result of my investi-
CATION:
On Sunday, oath ulto., Mr.. Pinney,
a barkeeper in the town of Cooney,
left Alma in company with three
miners, or prospectors, to visit Gran
vile, a new mining camp, situated
between Blue and Eagle creeks, and
about eighteen miles from Clifton,
Ariz. At about six miles from Alma,
Pinney became sick and had to stop.
II is said he had been on a spree.
The three miners left him and went
on about their business. and all have
been seen since. Pinney returned to
Alma and stated that he had run across
three Indians and fired at them, the
Indians returned the fire, the last vol
ley at less than sixty yards. The same
afternoon he revisited the scene OF his
reported battle, in company with q
man known by ihe name of Bob Han
ma, who owns cattle ranch on Blue
creek. Mr.. Hanna informed me that
he was unable to discover any sign or
tracks, not made by Pinney himself.
Mr.. Siggins informed me that three
mounted Mexican's passed his place 9
day or two prior to Pinney's adven
ture, their appearance excited suspi
cion, SO much so that parties in Pleas
anton watched them until they de
parted during the night, and went ir
the direction Of Pinney's subsequent
battlefield. Also, that one of the de
scriptions given by Pinney, OF the ap
v,aaroroa ~ the Indiana COrrespOnde(
very we'll with the appearance of the
Mexicans who previously passed hi
(SigginsD ranch.
Pinney's story seems to have beer
very much doubted by number o
people in the vicinity from the first
n have been almost entirely dissipate(